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junky_stuff69
Reviews
Miami Vice (2006)
Why Toss Out Plot & Characterization with the Pastels???
I'll preface with two facts: 1) I was a HUGE fan of the 1984-1989 TV series (have collected all the music from the series & put them into play lists in the order they originally ran in each episode) and 2) I know a couple of people in Michael Mann's office who gave me a heads-up on the script before this film even began shooting. That said, I knew NOT to expect a clone of the show and was told to expect a film more along the lines of "Heat" or "Collateral". For me, that was fine, because both films are brilliant. I ended up disappointed with this new "Miami Vice", because it did not live up to Michael Mann's other master works. The film gets going right from the start, but feels like we missed something - like, say, the first fifteen minutes or so, any kind of establishing of the characters or premise. For the first half hour, I had no idea who was who or why they were doing the things they did. And the film never stopped to catch anyone up in that respect, a major flaw. There is finally a scene toward the end of the first act where the major cop characters are making a deal with an informant and I was able to figure out, "Oh, that must be Zito. He must be Zwietek, etc., etc." and had I not been so familiar with the show, I may never have figured that out. Likewise, the entire film goes through its loud, flashy sequences without telling us anything about who Crockett and Tubbs are. Mann created such great, deep characters in all of his other films, I can't understand how he missed the go-fast boat here. Anyone who can make two men riding all night in cab thrilling should have known to give the audience some idea of who these people are. It is possible he was counting on people's knowledge of the show to fill in these blanks, but that is unfair when the whole concept of this film was a complete re imagining of the premise. These are not the 1980's Crockett & Tubbs, as an audience, we need to meet them all over again to understand them.
Beyond those serious flaws, the film has moments of sheer brilliance. Some of the action sequences are jaw-dropping. The cinematography, especially for high-definition video, is breath-taking and surely deserves at least an Oscar nomination. The sound, however, should just be handed the Oscar now, as I can't think of any film since "Heat" that created such a masterpiece of sound effects & editing. I also thought the gritty realism of the film was a terrific choice, because what made the first two seasons of the television show so emotional was the exploration of the dark side & consequences of a life in the drug underworld. Unfortunately, Mann forgot that the appeal of those early episodes was the juxtaposition of that darkness against the flashy, cool world of money, blow and hookers. The thin line the characters always walked was drawn by the dichotomy of enjoying living life in the fast lane while facing the constant tragic reminders of the reality of that world. In this film, Mann gives us the dark side, without explaining why the characters put themselves out there or why it would be appealing enough for them to lose themselves undercover.
Final note, for a Michael Mann film, the soundtrack is just poor, falling short of any memorable songs or sequences where the movie and music moved together like art. The score fared better, even striking some moments of Jan Hammer-ness.
Overall, "Miami Vice" is worth seeing, but is surprisingly more of a letdown compared to Mann's other works than it is a letdown to fans of the show.
A Day Without a Mexican (2004)
Deport This Film!
The politics of the immigration issue aside, this is just a bad piece of film-making. As a pseudo-documentary, it is completely one-sided and this is painfully obvious in the cartoonish, 2D characters portrayed. All the Mexicans are innocent, hard working, unappreciated folk carrying the weight of American society on their backs. All of the Anglos are stupid, racist, lazy and greedy oppressors. This aspect plays well to supporters, but immediately alienates (no pun intended) everyone else. Michael Moore made this same misstep in "Fahrenheit 9/11" when he characterized pre-war Iraq as a happy place of playing children, chocolate rivers and gumdrop smiles. Even those of us against the war know that was far from the case and it turns you off as a viewer. Okay, so beyond the flawed message, it all comes down to the basics. The script is horrible...what is Spanish for "horrible"? The dialog is flat and corny. There is no consistent thread to keep your interest, instead the film just jumps from present to flashback to fantasy, so much so I couldn't keep track of where I was or which character I was trying to follow. And for a film that caught my interest because I kept hearing how "funny" it was,I don't recall laughing once. Production value is another problem - a low budget film can sometimes be obviously low budget and that is the case with this film. Finally, the acting is, minus some exceptions here and there, very poor and that makes it even harder to try and connect with any of the characters. Poor showing, mi amigos, poor showing.
The Old Negro Space Program (2004)
Outstanding!
This is probably one of the funniest and best crafted short films I've ever seen. The humor is clever, the production value is top notch (as good as any History Channel documentary) and overall "The Negro Space Program" can hold its own with any "Chappelle Show" sketch. That says a lot, given the top quality of the material Dave Chappelle and Co. forge each season.
Oh, and ILM should hire the guys who did the graphics/doctored "historic" photos, because it's some of the best composite & blending work I've ever seen. The photos look like they were lifted right from a history book.
Amazing job, just want to give kudos to the filmmakers!
Oil Storm (2005)
If a Fraction is True...We're in Trouble
This was an interesting presentation and makes you think about some things. And that's probably what will scare pro-Bush "values voters", having to think about these issues. For them, they'll immediately dismiss it as propaganda, switch back to FOX "News" Channel and stick their heads back in the sand.
For a TV disaster film with a lot of potential to be bad (see the cheese pile known as "10.5"), it is very well done, especially the writing. Cutting together real footage and fictional interviews & staged "events", "Oil Storm" is deeply engaging and VERY believable. Despite the constant reminders that it is a work of fiction, you often feel you're watching a real documentary.
The actors play a huge role in selling it too because without their low-key and subtle performances, it wouldn't have worked. We've all seen fake documentaries where the actors are so bad, the lines so stilted and nail-on-the-head, you know you're watching a fake. With the exception of the teenage son, the entire cast connect with you like real people facing historic crisis.
Also, the narrator plays a valuable role in selling "Oil Storm" as real. His voice is familiar (History Channel, if I remember correctly) and credible in the documentary format. He does a quality job taking you through the series of events set in the future, as though they happened a few years ago.
Most of all, this film presents the harsh reality of just how interdependent and fragile our economy is. For every scenario the film presents, I'd find myself saying, "Well, then I'd just do this...", only to find out oil has an effect on aspects of our lives we never would have imagined. Life becomes more complicated than "I'll just take a bike to work!" While the catalyst events portrayed in "Oil Storm" are fictional and arguably a little unrealistic, there are a number of situations which could throw us into the bottom line - a massive oil shortage. The film is effective in making a strong case for moving the country away from our dependency on foreign oil.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Lucas Wised Up and Delegated!
As one who did not trust any reviews or ravings preceding this film (we saw it all before when CLONES was hailed as "The best since EMPIRE" and turned out to be another dud), I have to say I was thrilled. I'm not going to get into all the hits and misses, read enough other reviews and you'll get the picture. I will simply say it finally feels like a STAR WARS movie again.
However, I think the answer to why this film is so much better rests in a very simple concept - Lucas delegated again. There has been much written about the fact that Lucas turned directing the key action scenes over to Our Lord Thy Film-making God, Steven Spielberg. He turned over directing the actors to Christopher Neil. And he turned over the script to Tom Stoppard.
The results are an engaging, thrilling and emotional experience. Emotion is what's been missing from the previous two films more than anything. In analyzing why Episodes 1 & 2...well, they just sucked...a big part is that you are not emotionally engaged or attached to any of the characters. Further complicating the problem is the plot revolving around characters who's fates we already know. Here's an example: I did a marathon this past Saturday and watched all five DVDs straight through, in prepping for SITH (went 4,5,6,1,2 BTW). Episode 2 has a big sequence involving Obi-Wan clinging to an assassin droid, flying high above the capitol in peril. This is a very flashy little scene, but the problem is, anybody who knows ANYTHING about STAR WARS, knows that Obi-Wan is certainly not going to die or be crippled. So, consciously or subconsciously, you're not emotionally engaged in the scene and you're more interested in looking at your watch to see how long this scene has gone on.
If you were still engaged with the characters emotionally, the films would have worked, despite the issue of knowing the outcome already. TITANIC overcomes not only the issue of knowing the ship sinks, but (like George Lucas' handy work) overcomes a script with a thick layer of cheese on it. Yet, you become involved with the characters and the plot, so you are still open to being manipulated emotionally and the film makes an impact.
STAR WARS Episodes 1 & 2 have done the opposite. By the end of either film, I would have given a reproductive organ (left one, preferably) to see young Annakin or whiny teen Annakin, or @#*$ing Jar Jar Binks tortured and mutilated and raped right out of a scene from PULP FICTION. I certainly didn't care about their fate in the films' plots.
But REVENGE OF THE SITH, delegated to able craftsmen, gives you the feeling of caring about the characters. They're interesting, likable (even when evil) and most of all - human. Not wooden puppets. This effect is all the more surprising, given that you REALLY more or less know the outcome of this movie going in. Besides common sense, I had read numerous reviews of the film, including some with spoilers, so there was little I didn't know already. But I still got sucked up by every minute of it. I even found myself misty-eyed for a little while. This is a long way from "Yousa people gonna die?" My reservation with this film is that Lucas is getting so much credit for the results, when it has to be said, once and for all, that the only STAR WARS films that worked on multiple levels were the ones he delegated to other craftsmen (GOOD writers & directors). To know, had it not been for Spielberg, Stoppard and Neil, this film may have been another disaster, yet they get no credit is astounding. Once again, every other credit in the beginning is "George Lucas", "George Lucas". It's like the credits from a bad student film, where the insecure filmmaker feels the need to credit themselves for every other position, when any experienced or knowledgeable filmmaker will inherently know the director had his hand in everything - it comes with the job.
Makes me wonder if that's what Lucas directing these prequels was all about, urinating on his territory so people know it was his. God forbid the world know that Irvin Kushner was the genius behind the success of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Or now that the success of REVENGE OF THE SITH goes to Spielberg and Stoppard.
I will make one other comment, John Williams finally showed up again! Williams hadn't created a truly powerful score since SCHINDLER'S LIST. Further, his work on Episodes 1 & 2 was plain doo doo, save for the two operatic themes.
Well, in SITH, Williams creates an AMAZING score, some of his best work ever. Maybe it's because he had good cinema to score to, maybe the half-baked efforts for MENACE & CLONES was due to him saving his wad for SITH.
The other triumph was the photography, beautiful. Tattersall does an incredible job, also crediting ILM, since so much of what we're seeing on the screen is animation. But it looks awesome.
So, overall, beware the hype, but be ready for a great ride from REVENGE OF THE SITH. It's almost worth having to live through Episodes 1 & 2, it really is.
I say almost...had Lucas delivered a scene with Jar Jar bent over a chair with a gag-ball in his mouth, being violated by Zed, while the Gimp watches in glee...just before slicing his Gungan head off with a lightsabre, I would say SITH more than made up for MENACE & CLONES.
Maybe Lucas will put that scene in the extended DVD.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
A Brilliant Must-See
I just came out of a midnight screening and thought this film was brilliant.
More importantly, everyone should see this film before they even entertain the idea of voting for George W. Bush. My sincere hope is that people will realize how badly they were duped by this administration and will never allow themselves to be manipulated like this ever again. Michael Moore has created the 21st Century equivalent of Thomas Payne's "Common Sense".
As usual, Mr. Moore does an excellent job balancing hard truths, information and humor and heart. Even when the film looks at some of the hardest facts about this Iraq war, he manages to lift you up with a laugh right after.
To anyone brainwashed by the Bush/GOP/FOX News Channel propaganda designed to discredit Moore and his film, go see the film and then see if you still support this circus in Washington DC. I don't see how anyone with half a brain or a heart could not feel enraged by how they've been manipulated.